WFLI
WFLI-TV is a dual CW/MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station serving Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States that is licensed to Cleveland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 42 (or virtual channel 53 via PSIP) from a transmitter on Sawyer Cemetery Road in unincorporated Mile Straight. Owned by MPS Media, WFLI is operated through a local marketing agreement (LMA) by New Age Media as sister to Chattanooga-licensed This TV affiliate/Comet-operated station WDSI-TV (channel 61). Both stations, in turn, are operated under a master service agreement by the Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of Chattanooga-licensed dual ABC/Fox affiliate WTVC (channel 9). WFLI and WDSI share studios on East Main Street (SR 8/US 41/US 76) in Chattanooga's Highland Park section. Master control and some internal operations for the two stations are based at WTVC's studios on Benton Drive in Chattanooga. On Comcast Xfinity cable systems, WFLI is carried on channels 6 and 435. EPB Fiber Optics carries WFLI on channels 6 and 306. Although parts of the Chattanooga market are in the Central Time Zone, all schedules are listed in Eastern Time. History The station signed-on May 25, 1987 as an independent co-owned with WFLI radio (1070 AM) (hence the television station call sign). It aired an analog signal on UHF channel 53 from a transmitter in Cohutta, Georgia. On January 16, 1995, WFLI joined UPN as a charter affiliate. In 1997, the station was sold to Lambert Broadcasting, LLC. It added The WB in 1999 as a secondary affiliation; two years later, WFLI dropped UPN and became a full-time WB affiliate. The Meredith Corporation acquired WFLI in 2004. Between 2001 and 2003, the station sold late-night Saturday paid programming time to an independent producer, out of which eventually arose the format and style of Fuel TV (now Fox Sports 2), which went by that name on WFLI. Fox Cable Networks eventually bought the trademarks and concept of Fuel TV in 2003 to launch it as a full-fledged cable network in July of that year, and the original Fuel TV program on WFLI ended in September 2003. On March 7, 2006, WFLI was announced as Chattanooga's CW affiliate at the network's launch on September 18 in the wake of the merger of the WB and UPN into The CW. Meanwhile, WDSI launched a new second digital subchannel to serve as the area's MyNetworkTV affiliate beginning September 5. On November 26, 2007, Meredith announced the sale of WFLI to MPS Media which closed April 1, 2008. Shortly thereafter, New Age Media (owner of WDSI) began operation of the station through an LMA. On May 23, 2011, WFLI signed-on a new second digital subchannel of its own to offer MeTV. Sinclair Broadcast Group purchased the non-license assets of WFLI-TV and WDSI-TV from New Age Media for $1.25 million in September 2015 and began operating them under a master services agreement. Category:The CW Affiliates Category:MyNetworkTV Affiliates Category:Channel 53 Category:1987 Category:Television channels and stations established in 1987 Category:Former independent stations Category:Former UPN affiliates Category:Former WB affiliates Category:Cleveland, TN Category:Chattanooga Category:Tennessee Category:Sinclair Broadcast Group Category:UHF Category:The CW Tennessee Category:MyNetworkTV Tennessee Category:MeTV Affiliates Category:Charge! Affiliates